Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The chairman of DCNS, the French company bidding for our future submarines, recently said:

If Australia wants to maintain its sovereignty, at the end of the day we have to build in Australia.

Minister, why won't you take the necessary steps to protect Australia's sovereignty and to direct that the government will only consider local build options for our future submarines?